Welcome to A Boise Life!

Hey there, my name is Jonathan, and I’ll be the guy typing away on this MacBook for this blog. I blog over at AVideoGameLife.com, but decided to venture out into new territory with this blog. I’m 28 years old, and have spent most of my life in south central Pennsylvania. I studied English at Penn State’s York campus from 2006 until 2010 when I graduated still entirely unsure of what I was going to do in the world. After nearly a year of trying to find meaningful work (I worked at a gas station through and after college) I decided I needed to get out of town. In the fall of 2011 I enlisted in the United States Air Force (yes, I enlisted. I was told it would be best to try to become an officer further down the road). I’ve worked as an avionics technician on the F-15E since the spring of 2012, am in my fifth year (of six) and am currently deployed.

My time in the Air Force has certainly been enjoyable. I’ve traveled to many places I wouldn’t have otherwise, to include a summer split between Hawaii and South Korea. As my enlistment nears its end, I’ve found myself both excited and nervous. Before long I’m going to have to enter the “real world” again, and embark on another job search. Hopefully the prospects are better in 2017 than they were in 2010.

I arrived in Idaho in 2012 not quite knowing what to expect. Early on I explored the area and was often amazed at just how varied the Treasure Valley could be. One of the first adventures I embarked on was to drive up to Bogus Basin with one of my friends from tech school. The drive was unlike anything I had ever expected Idaho to be, and I remember being in awe all the way to the top.

I’ve continued to fall in love with Idaho over the three years I’ve spent in the state. I had the pleasure of spending a weekend in McCall around Christmastime in 2012, and again the scenery amazed me. The snow on all the trees was beautiful, and there was a peaceful quietness that was incredible. I never wanted to leave.

I moved to Boise in the fall of 2014, after I was finally able to move out of the dorms on base. I had always loved the city before then, but living there truly magical. I grew up in what was to me one of the most isolated and lonely places on the planet. Middle of nowhere Pennsylvania in which you had to drive fifteen minutes just to come across a gas station and another twenty minutes just to come to an actual town. Moving to Boise was a dream come true! I could walk to a grocery store, Starbucks, the movies or an entire city from my house! I was in love. But Boise is more than just any old city. There’s something special about it that makes it stand out. It is bike friendly with the beautiful Greenbelt, the people are friendly and the streets are relatively clean and enjoyable to walk along. There’s always a great view of the mountains, and you don’t have to drive very far to get out and enjoy nature.

As I sit here writing, I can’t wait to get back to Boise! This spring can’t come soon enough!